Doug Kim

Overview

Doug Kim, a Physics major from Davidson College, began his professional career as a computer programmer and software engineer. His intellectual property career began in 1998 when he combined his business experience with his legal education and was involved with enforcing a client’s patent against multiple infringers. Since then, Doug has created a well-rounded IP practice that provides legal solutions and strategies tailored to each client from multinational corporations to start-ups. Doug provides his client with strategies to protect inventions (patents), brands (trademarks), websites, software, apps, music, photos, and websites (copyright, licenses, and Internet law), and trade secret (the “secret sauce”). Through the creation of intellectual property rights and their enforcement, Doug seeks to develop legal strategies that fit clients’ business goals and increase the company’s worth. Doug also assists clients with drafting, negotiating, and reviewing license, assignment, independent contractor, and employment agreements as they pertain to intellectual property and ownership. Doug’s business background and legal education and experience make him well suited to understand the interaction between the legal services available to a client, a company’s available resources, and the client’s business goals.

Services

Brand Protection, Invention Protection, Licensing, Contracts, Company Formation, Internet and Domain Name, Data Security and Privacy, Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Technology Transfer, IP Litigation, Trade Secrets, Internet & Domain Name Pursuits, Business Disputes & Resolutions

Industries

Doug Kim’s intellectual property experience spans many client types and industries from multinational companies to state and county governments to startups and new ventures, a sampling of the industries where Doug has experience include advanced materials, consumer products, software development, data privacy, data security, manufacturing, medical devices, healthcare, sporting goods, boats, kayaks and paddleboards, retail, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), books, music, product packaging, and distribution.

Awards

• Named, Best Lawyers® Trademark Lawyer of The Year, Greenville (2022)
• Named, Best Lawyers® Patent Lawyer of The Year, Greenville (2019)
• Named, Legal Elite of the Upstate, Greenville Business Magazine (2015 – present)
• Named, The Best Lawyers in America© (2016-present)
• Listed, South Carolina Super Lawyers®, Top Rated Intellectual Property Attorney (2017-present)
• Named, “IP Star,” Managing Intellectual Property magazine (2015-2016)

Experience Highlights

• Managed the transfer of an Intellectual Property portfolio purchased with patents and trademark registration and applications in over a dozen countries as well as the United States.
• Helped create and maintain an intellectual property program that resulted in creating significant value for the company that was subsequently sold based principally on IP.
• Enforced use of Part Numbers on replacement parts so that third parties cannot label aircraft replacement parts with our client’s part numbers unless the third party was Authorized Distributor – a significant benefit to helping create a “Certified Parts Program.”
• Created and implemented copyright protection for county GIS information allowing counties better control over the county GIS data for counties in multiple states. Obtained patent protection for many technologies including advanced materials, renewable energy, consumer products, data encryption, sporting goods, military surveillance systems, firearms and accessories, agritech, warehouse management, manufacturing processes, non-motorized vehicles, wind energy systems, solar systems, fibers, education systems, and computer systems.
• Defended a client from the claim that its educational software infringed upon a competitor’s patent to a successful conclusion.
• Defended a candle maker’s claims that its products infringed competitor’s patent and copyrights to a successful conclusion.
• Successfully enforced a municipality’s contract rights relating to a million-dollar software program.